1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light-sensitive silver halide black-and-white photographic or color photographic material, and, particularly, to a light-sensitive silver halide color photographic material in which the deleterious influence of ultraviolet light is obviated by incorporating an ultraviolet light absorbing agent therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that ultraviolet light deleteriously influences a photographic light-sensitive material. A photographic light-sensitive material comprises a support having a comparatively high electric insulation property such as a film support of cellulose triacetate, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene or polycarbonate and a laminated paper covered with any of these polymers, and a light-sensitive photographic emulsion layer, which contains silver halide as a primary component, coated onto the support. Both surfaces of a photographic light-sensitive material have, therefore, a remarkably high electric insulation property. Accordingly, an electric charge is generated when the surface of the photographic light-sensitive material contacts another photographic light-sensitive material or different material and subsequently is rubbed therewith or separated therefrom during production or handling of the photographic light-sensitive material. This phenomenon is called "electrification". Once the accumulated static electricity reaches a limit, an atmospheric electric discharge occurs and a spark is formed at the same time due to the electric discharge. Since a photographic light-sensitive material is sensitive to light due to the spark discharge, an arborescent image, a feather-like image, a dot image or a radiated image is formed on the photographic material following development processing. The images thus-formed are called "static marks" in the photographic art. It is known that the spectral energy distribution of light due to spark discharge which causes static marks ranges from about 200 nm to about 550 nm and the intensity of light particularly with wavelengths of about 300 nm to about 400 nm is sufficiently high that the energy of light in this wavelength region causes the appearance of static marks. Accordingly, methods to prevent the appearance of static marks which comprise shielding from ultraviolet light particularly with wavelengths of about 300 nm to about 400 nm by utilizing an ultraviolet light absorbing agent have been hitherto investigated, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication 10726/1975, Japanese Patent Application (OPI) 26021/1976 (The term "OPI" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application") and French Pat. No. 2,036,679.
Other than certain photographic light-sensitive materials which are designed for exposure to light from special light-sources such as photosensitive materials for the graphic arts and X-ray photosensitive materials, exposure of a conventional photographic light-sensitive material to a light source containing ultraviolet light sometimes gives rise to undesirable effects. For example, light reflected from a snowscape, the beach and the sky has such a high spectral energy in the ultraviolet light region that the image reproduced in a black-and-white photographic light-sensitive material tends to have low contrast. This phenomenon is more markedly observed in a color photographic light-sensitive material in which a silver halide photographic emulsion layer is sensitized to light with wavelengths longer than the wavelength region to which silver halide is intrinsically sensitive and in which recording only visible light is desired.
Further, when light having a comparatively high spectral energy in the ultraviolet light region such as light reflected from a distant view, a snow covered landscape and an asphalt pavement is photographed, a bluish color image is obtained. In addition, the quality of the color reproduction of the finished color image varies considerably based on the difference in spectral energies in the ultraviolet light region of light from various types of light sources used for exposure, such as sunlight, a tungsten lamp and a fluorescent lamp. That is, the color images obtained upon exposure to light from a tungsten lamp and from a fluorescent lamp have a reddish color tone and a bluish color tone, respectively, as compared to the color tone obtained upon exposure to sunlight. Accordingly, in order to obtain a color photograph with the correct color reproduction, it is desirable for the silver halide photographic emulsion layer of a color photographic light-sensitive material to not be exposed to ultraviolet light, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 56620/1976 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,229.
Furthermore, a color photograph, particularly a color photograph of the type where a dye image is formed in a light-sensitive photographic emulsion layer by color development tends to fade and to discolor due to the action of ultraviolet light. In addition, a coloring agent which remains in a photographic emulsion layer after the formation of the color image forms an undesirable color stain on the finished color image due to the action of ultraviolet light. This type of effect due to ultraviolet light on a finished color image is particularly marked in a positive print which is often viewed under sunlight containing a large amount of ultraviolet light. The dye image tends to fade and to discolor particularly due to the action of ultraviolet light having a spectral energy in the wavelength region near the visible region, i.e., of about 300 nm to about 400 nm. Many methods of utilizing an ultraviolet light absorbing agent in order to minimize the deleterious effect of ultraviolet light have been made as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,215,530, 3,707,375, 3,705,805, 3,352,681, 3,278,448, 3,253,921 and 3,738,837, Japanese Patent Publications 26138/1974 and 25337/1975, U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,229 and British Pat. No. 1,338,265.
Generally, photographic ultraviolet light absorbing agents must have the following properties:
(1) The ultraviolet light absorbing agents themselves must be colorless or substantially colorless; PA1 (2) They must have a good compatibility with a binder; PA1 (3) They must be inert to other photographic additives and elements present; PA1 (4) They must have good ultraviolet absorption characteristics, i.e., they must effectively absorb ultraviolet light having wavelengths of about 300 nm to about 400 nm; and PA1 (5) They must be stable to ultraviolet light, heat and moisture.
Ultraviolet light absorbing agents which have heretofore been used do not have sufficiently desirable characteristics and do not have the above-described properties. For example, the benzotriazoles as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,921 and the cinnamic acid type compounds as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,707,375 and 3,705,805 have been generally used in photographic light-sensitive materials for a long time. However, they have inferior light absorption characteristics in the wavelength region of from about 300 nm to about 400 nm, and have a low coefficient of light absorption particularly in the wavelength region of from about 360 nm to about 395 nm. (These wavelengths are those absorption wavelengths determined in a hydrophilic colloid aqueous solution, hereinafter the same.) Additionally, prior art ultraviolet absorbing agents have broad absorption spectral curves. Therefore, a large amount of the prior art ultraviolet absorbing agent must be added to a photographic light-sensitive material in order to obtain a desired absorption density. However, when these ultraviolet light absorbing agents are utilized in sufficient amount to provide a desired absorption density particularly in the wavelength region of from about 360 nm to about 395 nm, visible light having wavelengths longer than about 415 nm is also absorbed to a substantial extent by these ultraviolet absorbing agents. This results in both a reduction in sensitivity due to the filtering action and a formation of an undesirable stain. Accordingly, these ultraviolet light absorbing agents cannot be employed in a sufficiently large amount that a desirable absorption density can be obtained in the wavelength region of from about 360 nm to about 395 nm. As a consequence, the absorption of ultraviolet light with these prior art ultraviolet absorbing agents is not sufficiently effective that prevention of static marks and improvement in both color reproduction and color image stabilization can be obtained. In addition, the use of an ultraviolet light absorbing agent in a large amount tends to cause difficulties, e.g., poor contact between layers of a multilayer photographic light-sensitive material and adhesion between photographic light-sensitive materials.